Movie Review: Fired Up!

I am sure you are wondering why I saw this film. I mean, I had to have seen the trailers, which looked pretty lame, right? Yes, you are right, but allow me to direct you towards my library of film reviews. I am sure you will find less worthy films that I have reviewed, and dare I say I've actually liked a few of them.

The trailer for Fired Up! does not look good. It actually seemed to be totally soulless and devoid of humanity. Still, it had a couple of mildly humorous moments, but even that was mainly due to the presence and timing of John Michael Higgins as one of the coaches. It seemed bound to be just another faceless cheerleading movie with the gimmick of having a couple of wolves in amongst the sheep, taking the focus away from traditional cheerleading competition.

Honestly, I did not have any intention of seeing this movie, not on the big screen at least. It was all but set to fall victim to the economic crunch as it was sheered from my to-see list pretty early in the process. However, there was something that actually made me change my mind, and that was Harry Knowles' review at Ain't it Cool News.

I am not really sure why I read it, but I did, and his enthusiasm got me interested. It is hard to take his writing at face value, but he is always excited about whatever it is he is writing, and that is always a good thing. So, I took that interest and put the film back on the schedule and now here I am, smiling as I reminisce on the time wasted in front of a cheerleader movie.

Fired Up! is, on the surface, just another cheerleading movie in the vein of the Bring It On - the difference here is a healthy dose of sex drive from movies like American Pie. It strikes me as a blatant attempt to make a cheerleader flick acceptable to the male demographic. It has those elements necessary for the female target with the added bonus of a couple of Lotharios for the guys to latch onto. Yes, this is a broad generalization, but that is what focus group-minded studios do when working on a formula picture. They know they have the girls, so why not make a play for a wider audience? Nothing wrong with that. Surprisingly, they very nearly hit the mark.

At the center of the movie are Nick (Eric Christian Olsen) and Shawn (Nicholas D'Agosto). They are big men on campus, getting any girl they want and having their way with the opposition on the football field. As summer approaches, the duo prepare for football camp, only to be disappointed to discover the camp has been moved from sunny Florida to the dry, girl-less climate of Texas. Not looking forward to a month without girls, the two concoct a scheme to ditch the jock camp and join up with the cheerleaders to go to their sunny Florida camp where the male to female ratio is greatly tilted in their favor.

Article Author: Chris Beaumont

Christopher Beaumont spends much of his time writing about music and movies when he isn't indulging in them. He is always ready to talk about his favorite form of entertainment and offer up recommendations. Follow: Twitter and Tumblr. Visit: Critical Outcast. …

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